Internationally renowned author, Honorary Visiting Fellow at The Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (2014-12015), Dr. Erna Brodber, will conduct a prose fiction writing workshop at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus. The workshop is hosted by the Department of Literatures in English, UWI, Mona. Dr. Brodber, a graduate of the University College of the West Indies (1963), was born in a small town, Woodside, in St. Mary, Jamaica, where she grew up with a keen sense of active community involvement and of the importance of oral stories and folklore in identity construction and politics. Her works thematically focus on culture, memory, displacement, Pan-African ideology, Diasporic spirituality, class, and gender. Dr. Brodber is an avant-garde contemporary writer from the Commonwealth Caribbean, with publications that speak to her artistic vision. She is the author of five novels: Jane and Louisa Will Soon Come Home (1980), Myal (1988), Louisiana (1994), The Rainmaker’s Mistake (2006), Nothing’s Mat (2014), a collection of short stories, The World Is a High Hill (2012), and numerous non-fiction and scholarly works. She has been an invited guest at many institutions worldwide and a Writer-in-Residence in the Department of Literatures in English (UWI, Mona). She has won numerous awards and distinctions including: Outstanding Contribution to the Arts; Best Adult Non-Fiction (UWI Press); Distinguished Caribbean Writer and Scholar; Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence (Clarke University); Order of Distinction-Commander Class.

This workshop (scheduled for March 25, 1, 8, and 15, 2015, from 6-8 PM, in the Graduate Conference Room of the Faculty of Humanities and Education) is an opportunity for those interested in prose fiction writing to take advantage of Dr. Brodber’s expertise in the field. Please contact the Department at 876 927-2217 or litsworkshop@gmail.com in order to register.

Professor Emeritus, Poet Laureate, Mervyn Morris will launch his latest book, Miss Lou: Louise Bennett and Jamaican Culture, on February 10, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. in Lecture Theatre 3 (Faculty of Medical Sciences) at The University of the West Indies, Mona. The launch is hosted by the Department of Literatures in English, and will form part of the University Research Days 2015 activities at the UWI, Mona Campus.The publication of Miss Lou: Louise Bennett and Jamaican Culture in March 2014 by Ian Randall Publishers coincided with Professor Morris’ appointment as Poet Laureate of Jamaica, the first since the country’s independence. Miss Lou: Louise Bennett and Jamaican Culture is both a biography and a critical assessment of the work of a woman often referred to as the “face” of Jamaican culture: Louise Bennett-Coverley—poet, performer, storyteller, singer, actress, writer, broadcaster, folklorist, and TV show host—whose work underscores the importance of Creole language in Jamaica.Professor Morris could be characterized as the quintessential Louise Bennett scholar. In 1963 he published “On Reading Louise Bennett, Seriously,” and edited/published her Selected Poems in 1982, as well as her radio monologues, Aunty Roachy Sey (1993). This new book on Miss Lou promises to be delightful as it sheds light on this cultural icon. Professor Morris’ scholarship is wide and far-reaching. In addition to works on Louise Bennett, he counts among his numerous publications ‘Is English We Speaking' and Other Essays (1999), Making West Indian Literature (2005), and six books of poetry, including I Been There, Sort Of (2006).Appointed Professor Emeritus of Creative Writing and West Indian Literature at the University of the West Indies, Mona, in 2003, Professor Morris has taught in the Department of Literatures in English since 1970, and became Head of the Department (1979-82; 1988-91) and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Arts and General Studies (1987-89). He has also been a Visiting Lecturer/Professor and Writer-in-Residence at various Universities in the UK and the USA.Professor Morris’ other accomplishments and awards include: MCOBA Hall of Fame (2013), CPTC Cultural Medal of Honour (2012), Order of Merit, Jamaica (2009), Silver Musgrave Medal for Poetry (Institute of Jamaica, 1976), and the 1958 Rhodes Scholarship (1957). University Research Days 2015 provides the perfect platform to showcase Professor Morris’ scholarship and talent. Story-teller Amina Blackwood-Meeks as well as dub poets Oku Onuora, Jean Binta Breeze and Mutaburaka will perform in tribute to the Poet Laureate on the occasion of this launch event. Professor Emeritus Edward Baugh will be the launch speaker. The event is open to the public.

By popular demand, Kellie Magnus, Founder and Editorial Director of Jackmandora, a Caribbean children’s media company, will conduct a second workshop that focuses on writing picture books, early readers and chapter books for early childhood and primary markets. The workshop is hosted by the Department of Literatures in English, UWI, Mona.Ms Magnus is the author of more than fifteen children's books and stories, including the popular Little Lion children’s book series and several books for the Ministry of Education’s Literacy 123 series. Two of Jackmandora’s books A Book for Baby and Trixie Triangle were selected for the 2011 BookStart Jamaica Pilot Programme. She also co-authored the Jamaican translation of the best-selling children’s book parody, Go the F*** to Sleep with celebrated poet, Kwame Dawes.She writes on the arts, education, and entertainment for regional and international publications and serves on the boards of the National Library of Jamaica, the Early Childhood Commission, and the Book Industry Association of Jamaica. She has lectured on publishing and media at numerous conferences and has taught at the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) and the City College, City University of New York. She was one of the developers of Max and Friends, a multimedia package designed for children with autism and related developmental disorders. The package includes 3 episodes of a live-action television series, children’s books, a CD of original songs and a manual for teachers and parents. Kellie Magnus was also one of the authors of Shaggy Parrot and the Reggae Band, a picture book and CD project featuring the voice of Grammy winning recording artist, Shaggy. She has won the BIAJ Award for Best Children’s Book, the BIAJ Readers’ Choice Award for Best Children’s Book and the New York City Proclamation for Outstanding Contribution to Literature. A graduate of Harvard and Columbia Universities, her work at Columbia combined educational technology and media, with an emphasis on technology and media for children, and the management of information, communication and media resources. This workshop (scheduled for January 14, 21, 28, and February 4, 2015, from 6 to 8 PM in the Graduate Conference Room, Faculty of Humanities and Education at UWI, Mona) is an opportunity for those interested in writing for children to take advantage of Kellie Magnus’s expertise in the field. Please contact the Department at 9272217 or litsworkshop@gmail.com in order to register.

The Guyana Prize for Literature was established in 1987 to provide encouragement for the development of good creative writing among Guyanese in particular and Caribbean writers in general.

During the Awards Presentation on the Twentieth Anniversary of the Prize it was declared that after contributing to the advancement of the literature through the recognition of Guyanese writers, the pledge to Caribbean writing should now be honoured in a specific and direct way. This need was further felt since there was still no literary prize offered within the Anglophone region with Awards for Caribbean Fiction, Poetry and Drama. The pledge became a reality when it was announced in Georgetown on November 2, 2010, that the Government of Guyana had provided funds to the Management Committee of the Guyana Prize for the first Guyana Prize for Literature Caribbean Award, starting with the Prize for 2010. There will be three Awards.

The categories are Fiction, Poetry and Drama, with a prize of US$ 5,000 for the winner in each category.

ELIGIBILITY The Prize is for published books and is open to works by citizens of Caribbean countries : CARICOM States, the Commonwealth Caribbean, the Netherland Antilles.

To be eligible for entry, a book must have been

· written and published in English

· published in the calendar years 2013/2014; i.e. between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014;

for Drama, entries must

· be full-length plays, which have not been published/performed before January 1, 2013.

For Fiction and Poetry works must be entered by the publishers. Plays may be entered by either publishers or the playwrights.

No more than one work by any author may be entered in each category.

It is the responsibility of the publisher to verify the nationality of the authors where necessary

SUBMISSIONS Entries should be submitted to

The Management Committee Guyana Prize for Literature Caribbean Award Faculty of Education and Humanities University of Guyana Turkeyen Campus Greater Georgetown Guyana Closing date for entries is February 28, 2015.

Entries must be accompanied by a separate sheet with the following information for each author

· name, date and place of birth, citizenship

· address, telephone number, Fax number, e-mail address

· title of work

· date and place of publication

· date(s) and place of performance or publication for plays

· brief bio-sketch/career resume of author

· photograph of author

Four copies of each entry must be submitted

Winners in the three categories will be decided by a Jury of eminent persons in the field. A shortlist of finalists will be announced approximately one month before the Awards Ceremony, and may be used as a part of promotion for the Prize. The winners, as a condition of entry, are expected to attend the Prize Awards Ceremony to be held in Georgetown, Guyana at the end of May, 2015, on a date to be announced, and should also be prepared to give public reading(s) from their works as organised by the Guyana Prize Management Committee. The Awards are to be presented by His Excellency the President of Guyana. Airline tickets and expenses for the visit to Georgetown will be provided where necessary. Further enquiries may be directed to Debra Lowe debral65@yahoo.com

The Caribbean Studies Association hereby issues a call for papers for its 40th Annual Conference, set for May 25-29, 2015, at the Hilton Hotel (Riverside) in New Orleans, Louisiana. The theme for 2015 is “The Caribbean in an Age of Global Apartheid: Fences, Boundaries, and Borders—Literal and Imagined.” The deadline for abstract submissions is December 15, 2014.

DescriptionThe theme for this year’s conference reflects the unfortunate fact that today’s 21st century Planet Earth is experiencing a steady growth in global inequality. The term “global apartheid” refers to the fact that throughout the world, fences, boundaries, borders and barriers confront all aspects of human endeavor and are protected by a minority with power over and control of most of the world’s land, labor and capital. Yet at the same time, globalization is producing population movements across all these obstacles on an unprecedented planetary scale. Our week-long meeting provides an opportunity from a variety of perspectives to analyze, understand, and address the contradictions—pushes and pulls—of this new global reality as it impacts the Caribbean and its diasporas.

The designated conference site is New Orleans, often referred to as the “northernmost point of the Caribbean.” Before the “Anglo-American” takeover and Civil War, it was a majority-black city with an implicitly African Creole culture. Like many Caribbean nations, its unique history is comprised of three distinct colonial eras entailing almost three centuries of contact and synthesis among African slaves (the last to be imported legally into the U.S.), French and Spanish colonists, gens de couleur libres (free people of color), native peoples and Cajuns. The influence of both Haiti and Cuba on New Orleans is palpable, especially in the French Quarter and Faubourg Tremé (the site of Congo Square). In the early 19th century, refugees coming from revolutionary Saint-Domingue, many by way of eastern Cuba, transformed Louisiana, providing inspiration for the largest slave revolt in U.S. history (1811) that ended with a tribunal held at Destrehan plantation near New Orleans (a planned CSA tour). Perhaps less well known is the fact that New Orleans was a port city that enjoyed an almost 200-year long trading relationship with Havana, ending with the U.S. embargo of Cuba.Today, New Orleans (and Southwest Louisiana/East Texas) is home to a robust and distinctive subculture comprised of black Catholic speakers of Creole (also known as Afro-French, Black Creoles, Black French, Creoles, Créoles, Créoles Noirs, Creoles of Color). Plenaries, round-tables and featured panels will connect these unique Creole cultures of the U.S. with those of Africa and the Caribbean, especially those of Cuba and Haiti. A CSA conference exhibition will show these historical connections visually by featuring strikingly similar bead work created by the Yoruba, Haitians, and Mardi Gras Indians (Black Indians). Papers and presentations are welcomed on sub-themes that relate to the overall conference theme, such as: 1) borders as one of the great contradictions in the era of capitalist globalization, the question of national sovereignty, responses to economic superfluity (joblessness) in the Caribbean and Circum-Caribbean; demands for slavery reparations; 2) Creole identity, history, language, migration, cuisine, literature, music, dance, festival arts, art and architecture, religious and spiritual traditions; 3) global climate change, environmental sustainability and urban geography, “toxic tourism” and disaster sites, abandoned populations, emigration and immigration policies, “nations without borders,” transnational citizenship; and 4) efforts in the region to overcome the barriers of race, ethnicity, language, nationality, religion, class status, gender and sexual orientation. A setting is provided where multi- and inter-disciplinary views are encouraged, where the arts and humanities meet the social sciences, and where different ways of seeing and communicating about the world are presented by a diverse array of participants. In order to facilitate inter-disciplinary exchange, members are encouraged to propose ideas for papers and panels, by way of contacting others to create multi-disciplinary and multi-lingual panels at our website’s forum.Guidelines for Panel/Paper Submissions

● All proposals must be submitted electronically via the CSA website. The deadline for individual and panel submissions is 15 December 2014● Abstracts must not exceed 125 words for individual papers or 250 words for panels● Titles for individual papers and for panels must not exceed 70 characters (we reserve the right to edit for brevity)● Proposed panels should contain at least 3 and no more than 4 presenters, and panel chairperson must be named in the proposal● Paper titles (and abstracts if possible) should be submitted in at least one other language besides English (Spanish, French or Haitian Kreyol); multilingual abstracts will be published in the electronic version of the program.● Panels should strive to represent a diversity of languages, rank, affiliations and disciplines (i.e., inclusion of graduate students and junior scholars on panels with senior scholars, activists, and/or practitioners; panels composed of social science, arts and humanities scholars)● Papers/presentations that require special equipment, installation space, rooms, translation services, etc., must be indicated on the submission form● Presentations of films and visual and performing arts, as well as related panels, are welcome. Please see the 2015 Film and Visual & Performing Arts Committee Call for Proposals (below) for information and submission instructions.Membership dues and conference registration must be paid by April 15, 2015, or papers/panels will not appear in the conference program. Membership and registration details are available on the CSA website http://www.caribbeanstudiesassociation.org/. For help with translation or information on suggested topics, CSA travel grants, visas, submissions forms, author celebration and literary salon, contact Karen Flynn or Keithley Woolward at program.chair@caribbeanstudiesassociation.org or the secretary at secretariat@caribbeanstudiesassociation.org.CSA 2015 Film and Visual & Performing Arts Committee Call for Proposals

The CSA 2015 Film and Visual & Performing Arts Committee invites proposals from filmmakers, visual and performing artists, and scholars and graduate students to submit proposals for films and other visual modes of expression—as well as papers about films and the visual arts—that engage the CSA 2015 conference theme: The Caribbean in an Age of Global Apartheid: Fences, Boundaries, and Borders – Literal and Imagined. The location of the 40th conference of the CSA, which convenes in New Orleans, May 25 to 29, is an ideal cultural and dialogical space for exploring how arts and culture relate to issues facing the African diaspora and the Caribbean today.Proposals that explore the intersections of historical and current artistic expressions of Caribbean and U.S. creole identities are encouraged as well as those from filmmakers and artists who have illustrated the intersection of the cultures of the Caribbean Basin and New Orleans to create unique expressions that critically filter our perceptions of socio-cultural identity. It is hoped that a platform is created for a profound discourse involving identity, religion, the arts and culture, political economy, media and communication, such artistic forms being historical and contemporary forays into the region’s politics and economies.

Submissions are welcomed that not only challenge the harmony implied by previous paradigms of plurality but speak to the cleavages created by the fences, boundaries, and borders defending hierarchies of race, class, gender, sexuality and language, as well as to the new contradictory syntheses that defy those limits. Equally, we seek proposals addressing the role of film and art in reflecting, shaping/defining, complicating and/or integrating the plurality of the people and environments in the Caribbean, its diasporas and the New Orleans area. Abstracts of 250 words are invited; please use the guidelines for panel/paper proposals listed in the general Call for Papers. Send proposals for films or film-related panels no later than December 15, 2015, to Terry-Ann Jones at tjones@fairfield.edu and those related to visual or performing arts to Jan DeCosmo at jandecosmo@comcast.net.

The Commonwealth Games provides a unique opportunity for Scotland to explore its cultural heritage with the wider Commonwealth. Glasgow’s Mitchell Library hosts a vast collection of original archival material relating to Scotland’s shared history with the Caribbean, forged in many ways in the 1750s by the North Atlantic Slave Trade. The Caribbean has dispersed archives and resources though not, as yet, coherent collections on this topic.The British Council is working with the Mitchell Library (Glasgow, Scotland) and a local Caribbean partner to convene an ambitious residency programme for writers of historical fiction from both places to explore this relationship. Two Caribbean writers from the Commonwealth will take up residence at Mitchell Library for three weeks with a creative brief to explore and respond to the archive of original source material from the time period. One Scottish writer will head to Trinidad for three weeks, one spent in the company of literature networks in Port of Spain and a further two of independent travel to visit dispersed resources across the Caribbean region and do the same. Writers will publicly explore the relationship between the two places and the craft of weaving history into their stories.The writers from the Caribbean (Lisa Allen-Agostini & Diana MacAulay) will be at the Mitchell Library from 11 August – 31 August and the outgoing writer (Jane Harris) will be in the Caribbean from 1st September - 21st September.Here is a link to the webpage http://literature.britishcouncil.org/news/2014/july/trading-tales-call-for-writers

The region’s only prize that seeks to open doors for budding writers opens for submissions until 30 September 2014.The 2015 Hollick Arvon Caribbean Writers Prize will be awarded to an emerging writer of poetry. Submissions close on 30th September at 6pm. The Prize, administered by The Bocas Lit Fest and worth a total of US$15,000, will give the winning Caribbean-based writer time to advance a poetry collection. It includes a year’s mentoring by an established poet and travel to the United Kingdom to attend a one-week intensive creative writing course of their choice at Arvon.The winning writer will also have three days in London to network with literary professionals, hosted by the UK’s leading creative writing organisation, Arvon, in association with Free Word Centre and agents Rogers, Coleridge & White, and receive a cash award of £3,000 or US$4,500.This is year 3 of the Prize. In 2012, the Hollick Arvon Caribbean Writers prize was for fiction and was won by Barbara Jenkins of Trinidad and Tobago. In 2013, Jamaican, Diana McCaulay took home the prize for non-fiction. The Hollick Arvon Caribbean Writers Prize is presented at Trinidad and Tobago’s annual literary festival, the NGC Bocas Lit Fest, in Port of Spain in late April.

In order to promote trade and export development among CARIFORUM member states, there is a need to showcase the private sector success stories of the beneficiaries of Caribbean Export. This not only supports the increased visibility of the Agency but also is a means to encourage Caribbean excellence across the region. The Primed for Success publication provides a collection of articles on exporting businesses that have benefited from Caribbean Export work programme activities to contribute their success.In order to produce this publication, Caribbean Export is looking to work with an experienced publishing firm that will provide the following services, as outlined in the terms of reference.

Interview the agreed list of beneficiaries (approx. 20)

Write articles (approx. 20) that highlight the businesses growth and success as a result of participating in Caribbean Export initiatives

Liaise with Caribbean Export to determine the appropriate design and layout of the publication;

Provide 3 design and layout options in keeping with the brand guidelines to select from;

Design a cover page for the publication;

Create an electronic version of the publication;

Liaise with Caribbean Export to determine the appropriate print specification and quality

Recommend 3 print firms to Caribbean Export who are capable of printing to the agreed specification and quality;

Provide recommendations and assistance to ensure the final print meets the expected standards.

General CriteriaAll publishers must:

Be nationals of the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of states or of the European Union

Have practical experience of at least five (10) years in producing corporate publications including magazines

Have previously prepared digital publications

Required Documentation

At least two (2) examples of published magazines including electronic or online versions

Proposal including information related to but not limited to Company Profile, Methodology, Key Experts, Timetable of Activities

Interested persons/firms must submit all required documentation to Caribbean Export Development Agency addressed to JoEllen Laryea, Advisor – PR and Marketing via email to jlaryea@carib-export.comSubmissions via post can be sent to:JoEllen Laryea, Advisor – PR and MarketingCaribbean Export Development Agency1st Floor Baobab TowersWarrensSt. MichaelBarbados, BB22026In order to be considered for this Consultancy, proposals must be received no later than 4:30 p.m. Barbados Time on August 5, 2014. No late submissions will be accepted.Download the full TERMS of REFERENCE here

British Council, in partnership with Glasgow’s Mitchell Library, are asking writers to explore the relationship Scotland and the Caribbean share as part of a programme of activity for the Commonwealth Games.Mitchell Library hosts a vast collection of original archival material relating to Scotland’s shared history with the Caribbean, forged in many ways in the 1750s by the North Atlantic Slave Trade. The Caribbean has dispersed archives and resources though not, as yet, coherent collections on this topic.We’re delighted to put out the call for two Caribbean writers from the Commonwealth to take up residence at Mitchell Library for three weeks this August, with a creative brief to explore and respond to the archive of original source material from the time period. One Scottish writer will then head to Trinidad in September for three weeks, one spent in the company of literature networks in Port of Spain and a further two of independent travel to visit dispersed resources across the Caribbean region and do the same. Writers will publicly explore the relationship between the two places and the craft of weaving history into their stories.To apply for this opportunity, please download the Call for Expressions of Interest. Interested parties will need to send their CV and a 500 word statement explaining why they are interested in the opportunity and what particularly interests them about the relationship between the Caribbean and Scotland to UK_Residency@britishcouncil.org no later than 12pm on Sunday 13 July 2014.Trading Tales is one of four literature programmes around the Commonwealth Games that explores Scotland’s relationship with the broader Commonwealth through those that know it best – its writers and storytellers. See links to the side of this article to read more about theCommonwealth Writers conversation that happened at the Aye Write festival in May, and the ongoing Poets United project with the Scottish Poetry Library.

The Caribbean Writer, an international, refereed, literary journal with a Caribbean focus, is announcing a submission call for its 29th edition. Issues unique to the Caribbean should be central to the work, or the work should reflect a Caribbean heritage, experience, or perspective.

Besides the usual poetry, short fiction and essays, Volume 29 will highlight contradictions and ambiguities in the Caribbean space; therefore, they additionally welcome interviews, personal narratives, one act plays highlighting this theme.

Individuals are encouraged to submit poems (5 maximum), short stories and personal essays on general topics and also on the Caribbean musicians and visual artists theme. One-act plays will also be accepted. Only previously unpublished work will be considered. (If self-published, give details.) Include brief biographical information and list all contact information plus title of manuscript on a separate page. Only the title should appear on the manuscript.

All submissions are eligible for these prizes: The Daily News Prize for best poetry ($300), The Canute A. Brodhurst Prize for best short fiction ($400), The David Hough Literary Prize to a Caribbean author ($500), The Marguerite Cobb McKay Prize to a Virgin Islands author ($200), The Charlotte & Isidor Paiewonsky Prize for first-time publication ($250), and The Cecile deJongh Literary Prize to an author whose work best expresses the spirit of the Caribbean ($500).

Email Submissions to submit@thecaribbeanwriter.org as attached Word or RTF files or submit via the "Submissions" page at www.thecaribbeanwriter.org. Submissions may also be mailed to: The Caribbean Writer, University of the Virgin Islands, RR 1, Box 10,000, Kingshill St. Croix, VI 00850-9781. Include SASE for response. Submission deadline isDecember 30, 2014.

About the CaribLit Blog

Commentary and insight on Caribbean publishing. Here you’ll find articles written by our action group members and other literary and publishing notables, as well as links to useful articles from other sources and coverage of literary and publishing events. We look forward to your comments.